Mesilas Yesharim, Perek 13

AI summary (may contain mistakes)

If the Torah and Chazal permitted something, why hold back from it? Perishus is necessary, yet Shlomo HaMelech warns against being too much of a tzaddik, and the answer is that it depends. Taking what is truly necessary is good, while excess is a potential trap of the yetzer hara. What counts as necessary is individual, and it can include rest, a vacation and a settled mind.

Key points

• Chazal call one who takes a fast upon himself kadosh, by kal vachomer from a Nazir.
• Any pleasure of this world, even fully kosher food, could lead to an aveira.
• Gates on a bridge protect rather than limit, and so do the fences Chazal make.
• Chazal made no gezeira of perishus because most people could not handle it.
• Perishus that makes a person suffer beyond what he can handle is the bad kind.

In this shiur

1. 0:00The question on perishus
2. 1:43Chazal's sources for perishus
3. 3:59The contradiction of al tehi tzaddik harbeh
4. 5:39Pleasures as potential traps
5. 11:55Mashal of gates on a bridge
6. 15:04Clothing, outings and talking
7. 19:28Why Chazal made no gezeira
8. 25:24The bad perishus

Topics

• Perishus
• Mesilas Yesharim
• Yetzer Hara
• Chassidus